Police Major: 'I Don't Want People Living in Fear'

Around 60 concerned citizens filled a room at Monday night to hear Zone 5 Commander address recent crimes in the Midtown neighborhood, including that occurred over the weekend.

"I know it's a very stressful situation," Leighty said at the meeting, organized by the Midtown Ponce Security Alliance.

"No one takes lightly when people pull guns on you and put them in your face or put them up to your head. That is not something that is tolerable. That is not something that is acceptable."

Leighty said police believe the same suspects are responsible for the recent armed robberies in the neighborhood. He described the suspects as three black males ranging in age from 18 to 23 years old who drive a dark-colored, older model sedan.

"It is going to be the same group of individuals," Leighty said, noting that police believe the suspects are coming from northwest Atlanta since another pedestrian robbery occurred Saturday morning at 700 Marietta Street shortly after the in Midtown.

"What they typically will do is they will steal a car somewhere in Zone 5 ... and they either break into vehicles somewhere else in Zone 5 or they will go out and commit these pedestrian robberies," he said.

Zone 5 covers neighborhoods including Midtown, Home Park, Ansley Park and the downtown area.

Leighty said he believes the Midtown neighborhood is more vulnerable to crime because "every football game in the city this year" is being played at .

He said in the past week there have been 15 pedestrian robberies in Zone 5, as well as a number of car break-ins where 38 laptop computers, 16 GPS systems and 5 handguns were stolen.

"I don't want people living in fear," Leighty said, adding that he has "eight people and a supervisor" dedicated to addressing the recent pedestrian robberies in Midtown. 

He advised people to be aware of their surroundings and to make sure they from their vehicles.